Sexual Risk Behaviors

Narrative

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can
cause a variety of health problems among women
if left untreated. Health outcomes that have
been associated with untreated STIs include
cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease,
infertility, and even death in the case of HIV/AIDS (find more information on Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS).1,2 Women can lower
their risk of contracting HIV and other STIs by
avoiding sexual risk-taking behaviors.

In 2006–2010, 3.9 percent of women aged
15–44 reported engaging in at least one sexual
risk behavior during the past 12 months (data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site). Among women aged 15–44, the
most commonly reported sexual risk behaviors were having five or more male sex partners in
the past 12 months (1.8 percent) and having
had at least one male sex partner who had had
sex with other males (1.4 percent). Less than 1
percent of women reported having had sex in
exchange for money or drugs (0.7 percent), having
had a sex partner that injects illicit drugs
(0.8 percent), or having had an HIV-positive
sex partner (0.1 percent; data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site).

The prevalence of engaging in sexual risk
behaviors among women varied by sociodemographic
characteristics. Younger women, aged
15–24 years, were more likely to report engaging
in at least one sexual risk behavior during
the past 12 months (5.5 percent), compared to
women aged 25–44 years (3.1 percent). Women
with a high school education or less were also
more likely to report any sexual risk behavior
compared to those with at least some college, as
were women living with household incomes below
150 percent of poverty (4.7 percent) compared
to women living with incomes of 150–299 and 300 percent or more of poverty (3.7
and 2.3 percent, respectively). Bisexual women
were more likely than heterosexual women to
report having engaged in at least one sexual risk
behavior during the past 12 months (13.1 versus
3.3 percent, respectively), while no statistically
significant difference was observed for lesbian
women, compared to heterosexual women.

*Includes having had more than five opposite-sex sex partners, having sex in exchange for money or drugs, having a male sex partner who has had sex with other males, having a sex partner who injects illicit drugs, or having an HIV-positive sex partner.
**Estimates by poverty status are limited to women aged 20-44 years of age at the time of the interview.
†Estimates by sexual orientation are limited to women aged 18-44 years of age at the time of the interview.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006-2010. Analysis conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Information on this page can be found in the print version of Women's Health USA 2012. Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Women's Health USA 2012. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013.